Guide roller device for tractor or caterpillar type sluice gates



Jan. 28, 1941. H. c. ANDERSON GUIDE ROLLER DEVICE FOR TRACTOR OR CATERPILLAR TYPE SLUICE GATES I Filed June 26, 1939 bfiygli'entor Zttorgy-Z 5 Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES rice GUIDE ROLLER DEVICE FOR, TRACTOR OR CATERPILLAR TYPE SLUICE GATES 3 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) This invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to sluice gates used in water control structures such as dams or the like; more particularly it is directed to an improved mounting for the guide rollers used on sluice gates of the tractor or caterpillar type.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide improved means for mounting guide rollers to sluice gates in such a manner that the rollers may be retracted to allow larger and more workable moving clearances between the gates and their frames, whereby the gates may be easily and quickly placed in position or removed, thus reducing the cost of installing or removing the gates. no Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mounting including a yieldable member for use on guide rollers of sluice gates whereby the gates are yieldably held in operative position during their travel along a race, thus eliminating or minimizing the vibration of the gates and at the same time taking up slight inequalities which may exist in the surface of the race, the said mounting also including means for adjusting the amount of pressure of the guide 3Q rollers against the race.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in certain features of construction and operation of parts which will hereinafter appear and in which Fig. l is a horizontal sectional view, partly in elevation through the gate and its adjacent structure including a guide roller in operative position against an upstream guard angle and having the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front view of. a housing for the guide roller and its operating mechanism mounted on the upstream edge of a portion of an end plate of the gate, and

Fig. 3 is a side view thereof showing the guide 45 roller retracted into the housing.

Referring more particularly to the drawing l indicates a portion of a vertical movable sluice gate of the tractor or caterpillar type having an end plate 2 on the forward end of which is 50 mounted the improved mechanism for yieldably holding the guide roller 3 in contact with a guide surface 4 of a stationary upstream guard angle 4', the said guide surface 4 of the upstream guard angle 4 being disposed at right angles to the end plate 2 of the gate.

Only one guide roller 3 and its improved operating mechanism is shown in the present illustration, but it is readily understood that a number of guide rollers and their operating mecha- 60 nism are to be attached at spaced intervals along the forward end of the end plate 2 which con stitutes the upstream edges of the gate.

The guide roller 3 and its operating mechanism are mounted in a housing indicatedgenerally by A which comprises side walls 5 anda rear wall 6', provided with flanges 'I which are secured to the front surface of the end plate 2 by rivets 8, the front end of the housing being open and flush with the forward end of the end plate 2. The housing A is also provided with a cover plate 9 containing a longitudinal extending slot ill, at its forward end in which a retaining screw ll having a head i2 is adapted to work, the said head I2 of the screw engaging with the outer portion of the cover plate 9 adjacent the longitudinal extending slot It. The inner end of the screw it is adapted to threadedly engage with one end of a shaft or pin l3 Whiohis mounted at its opposite ends in a yoke or U-shaped portion M of a combination guide roller holder and spring retainer l5, which provides a support for the guide roller 55, the said guide roller being rotatably mounted on the shaft 13 and adaptedto bear against and run along the guide surface 4 of the upstream guard angle 4. Suitable washers l6 are provided on the pin l3 between the inner surfaces or the yoke portion l l of the combination guide roller holder and spring retainer 15 and the sides of-the guide roller 3. i

The combination guide roller holder and spring retainer i5 is slidably arranged within the housing A andis provided with an inwardly projecting tongue l! which is embraced by the end turns of one end of a helical spring it, which is adapted to project the combination guide roller holder and spring retainer l5 and guide roller 3 outwardly, so that the roller will engage the guide surface 4 of the upstream guard angle 4, the said end of the spring bearing against the inner surface sur-' rounding the tongue I1 of the yoke portion l4 of the combination guide roller holder and spring retainer !5. The end turns at the other end of the helical spring it are adapted to embrace a tongue l9 provided on the inner end of an adjustable spring retainer 20, the end of the spring bearing against the surface of the spring retainer surrounding the tongue. The tongue [9 of the adjustable spring retainer is in alignment with the tongue ll of the combination guide roller holder and spring retainer l5 and projects inwardlyin an opposite direction to the tongue I1.

The spring retainer 28! is slidably mounted in the housing A and is adapted to be adjusted therein against the spring by means of an adjusting screw 2i including a head 22 which is screW-threadably mounted through the rear wall 6 of the housing, with the inner end thereof bearing against thevrear surface of the spring retainer. In order to hold the adjusting screw 2! in adjustedposition on the housing A, a jam nut 23is threadably mounted on the adjusting screw.

Other parts of the sluice gate include the frame 24, gate seals 25, tractor stationary roller race 26, tractor movable roller race 21, tractor rollers 28, tractor roller chain housing 29 and grouting plates 30.

The improved device is mounted in a recess 3| formed in a stationary wall structure 32, the said recess being provided with an enlarged cutout portion 33 forming shoulders 34 which are in stepped formation.

The frame 24 is formed to provide outwardly extending portions 35 and 35' in stepped formation which are adapted to seat against the shoulders 34 on the recess 3| with the outer end 36 of the outwardly extending portion 35 of the frame projecting into the recess and abuttin against one of the grouting plates 30. The tractor roller race 26 engages the outwardly extending portion 35 of the frame and the gate seals 25 engage the outwardly extending portion 35' of the frame. On the gate seals 25 is a guard angle 7 31 against which the end 38 of the plate 2 is adapted to abut. An outwardly bent portion 39 is provided on one end of the frame 24 which is embedded in the wall structure 32 for holding the frame thereon.

The operation is as follows: Upon the installation of the gate I with the guide roller 3 retracted within the housing A, the adjusting screw 2| is turned or screwed inwardly by means of a wrench or the like engaging the head 22 thereof, whereby the inner end of the screw is forced against the spring retainer 20 causing the helical spring l8 to force the combination guide rollerholder and spring retainer I5 carrying the guide roller 3 outwardly, whereby the retaining screw l2. which engages the pin l3 of the combination guide roller holder and spring retainer I5, is moved forwardly in the longitudinal slot formed on the outer end of the cover plate 9 of the housing A. This action of the helical spring causes the combination guide roller holder and spring retainer l and the guide roller 3 to be forced outwardly from the housing A, whereby the guide roller 3 is caused to come into contacting engagement with the guide surface 4 of the upstream guard angle 4 and to be yieldably held by means of the spring against the guide surface 4 for taking up inequalities which may exist therein and to eliminate or minimize the vibration of the gate. The amount of pressure of the spring retainer against the spring I8 is controlled by the adjusting screw 2| which is locked in adjusted position by the jam nut 23 engaging the outer surface of the rear wall 6 of the housing A.

To remove the gate the adjusting screw 2| is unscrewed rearwardly, thus causing the spring retainer 20 to move rearwardly under the action of the helical spring, whereby the pressure of the spring is released from the combination guide roller holder and spring retainer l5, and thus the pressure of the guide roller 3 against the guide surface 4 of the upstream guard angle 4.

When the adjusting screw 2| is unscrewed a predetermined amount the guide roller 3 may be retracted into the housing A to allow larger and more workable moving clearances between the gate and its frame, whereby the gate may be easily and quickly removed or replaced in position.

It will thus be seenthat there is provided a highly novel and eflicient form of guide roller device for use on sluice gates of the tractor or caterpillar type which is well adapted for all the purposes indicated. Even though there has herein been described certain features of construction and operation of parts, it is nevertheless to be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a frame, a stationary guide surface, a movable end plate, a sluice gate mounted on a side of said end plate, a stationary roller race engaging said frame, a roller chain housing mounted on an opposite side of said end plate from said sluice gate, a movable roller race secured to said roller chain housing, rollers mounted on said movable roller race, said rollers adapted to engage the stationary roller race on said frame and a guide roller yieldably and adjustably supported on the same side of said end plate as said sluice gate, said guide roller adapted to yieldably engage said stationary guide surface.

2. In combination, a stationary wall structure having a recess formed therein, a frame provided on said stationary wall structure, said frame including outwardly projecting portions in stepped formation, a stationary roller race engaging one of said projecting portions of said frame, a stationary guide surface mounted on a lower side edge of said recess, a movable end plate, a sluice gate mounted on a side of said end plate, a roller chain housing mounted on an opposite side of said end plate from said sluice gate, a movable roller race mounted on said roller chain housing, rollers mounted on said movable roller race, said rollers adapted to engage said stationary roller race and a guide roller yieldably and adjustably mounted on the same side of said plate as said sluice gate, said guide roller adapted to yieldably engage said stationary guide surface on said recess.

, 3. In-combination, a stationary wall structure having a recess formed therein, said recess having an enlarged cut-out portion providing shoulders in stepped formation thereon, a frame provided on said wallstructure, said frame including outwardly extending portions in stepped formation engaging said shoulders on said recesses, gate seals engaging one of said outwardly extending portions of said frame, a guard angle including a guide surface engaging said gate seals, a stationary roller race engaging another of said outwardly extending portions of said frame, a stationaryv guide surface mounted on a lower side edge of said recess, a movable end plate, a sluice gate mounted on one side and atone end of said end plate, a roller chain housing mounted on an opposite side of said end plate from said sluice gate,- a movable roller race mounted on said roller chain housing, rollers mounted on said movable roller race, said rollers adapted to engage the stationary roller race on said frame, a guide roller yieldably and adjustably mounted on the same side of said end plate as said sluice gate and at an opposite end of said plate from said sluice gate, the end of said plate on which said sluice gate is mounted movably engaging said guard angle on said seals and said guide roller on the opposite end of said plate from said sluice gate yieldably engaging said stationary guide surface on the lower side edge of said recess.

HARRY C. ANDERSON. 

